Sharing Reflections On Christianity

Monthly Archives: August 2012

Let’s face it….dinosaurs and similar critters did exist but they certainly were not present at, near or in the Garden of Eden. How does this square with the Biblical account of creation in Genesis? The factual and simplest of explanations follow. Emphasis and parenthesis within the scriptures are mine throughout.

I am covering this subject to show that the Biblical account in Genesis (properly translated) is in perfect harmony with TRUE science and TRUE paleontology.

Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible translates Genesis 1:2 correctly :”Now, the earth HAD BECOME waste and wild, and darkness was on the face of the roaring deep”. This means that the previous earth could had existed thousands, millions or even billions of years ago and probably had all sorts of creatures roaming and flying around. However, it then “BECAME” waste, wild and darkness…. BEFORE the present heavens and earth we now have.

The Concordant Literal translation of Genesis 1:2 has: “Yet the earth BECAME a chaos and vacant.”

Bullinger’s Companion Bible has “BECAME waste”.

This “disruption” or “casting down” of the PREVIOUS earth into the “waste” and “chaos” in Genesis 1:2 is spoken of NUMEROUS times in the Scriptures IF the Greek words ‘katabole’ and ‘kataballo’ are PROPERLY TRANSLATED as they are by the Concordant Literal Old Testament and Bullinger’s Companion Bible (please reference his Appendix 147: http://www.markfoster.net/rn/companion_bible_appendices.pdf).

Some of these verses indicating a “disruption” or a “cast down” of the ORIGINAL earth that was created in Genesis 1:1 that resulted in the condition of the earth in Genesis 1:2 are Matthew 13:35; John 17:24; Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:20 and others. Most Bible versions INCORRECTLY translate the word here “foundation” (which is actually the Greek word ‘themelios’).

Taking this one step further, the ‘kataballo’ mentioned above from ‘katabole’ for “cast down” or “disruption”, as properly translated by Concordant and Bullinger’s in the above verses, is ACTUALLY PROPERLY TRANSLATED as “cast down” or “thrown down” in 2 Corinthians 4:9 and Revelation 12:10 by the New American Standard, King James, Revised Standard and the many other Bibles that had IMPROPERLY translated it before as “foundation” in Matthew 13:35, 1 Peter 1:20 and the other verses listed above!!! Now, what a shame that these Bibles could not have been more CONSISTENT with the PROPER translation of ‘katabole’ and ‘kataballo’.

Aside from grammatical correctness, let’s consider this from a logical as well as scriptural approach:

1. The “chaos” (disorder), “waste” and “darkness” in verse 2 obviously had to get there somehow.

2. God would have had to put it there through Christ because “ALL things were made by Him; and without Him was NOT ANY THING made that was made.” (John 1:3; Colossians 1:15-17). Simply put: nothing exists unless Christ made it or put it there.

3. The problem here is : “God is not a God of disorder” (1 Corinthians 14:33….Strong’s Concordance has “disorder”, “confusion” and Darby has “disorder”).

In other words, chaos and disorder cannot come from God Himself (directly) nor Christ (directly). That is….They do NOT create “disorder”,”confusion” or “chaos”….it does NOT originate from Them. They always start with what they create as being “very good” (Genesis 1:31….Rotherham’s). It has to BECOME or degenerate to “waste”, “disorder” or “chaos” because They do not create it like that from the git-go.

(This is in line with the Second Law of Thermodynamics which dictates that order always disintegrates to disorder….never the reverse, as claimed by “evolution”. Please see the Post of “Creation vs Evolution”.)

This, then, is why Rotherham’s ,Concordant’s and Companion Bible’s translations are correct and reveals a prior existing earth that “became” disorder and waste. Then, following Genesis 1:2, God gave it a complete and new MAKEOVER through Christ, resulting in our present heavens and earth!

Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary has: “This globe, at some undescribed period, having been convulsed and broken up, was a dark and watery waste FOR AGES PERHAPS, till out of this chaotic state, the present fabric of the world was made to arise.” Clearly, this is in line with and verified with the proper translation of ‘katabole’ and ‘kataballo’ mentioned in the above Scripture verses.

Which also means: Paleontology and the Bible (properly translated) have no conflict.

5. Believers are never told to celebrate the birth of Jesus….for one thing, it is unknown. (December 25 was a pagan holiday and has nothing to do with the real day Jesus was born on)

6. Believers are never told to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, although we are told to observe elements of the “Last Supper”.

7. Talk about “funny money”: David purchased his first wife, Michal, from Saul with 200 foreskins of just killed Philistines! 1 Samuel 18:27

8. There are at least 64 types/kinds of “spirit” mentioned in the Bible, based on Strong’s Concordance using the King James Version:

“God, Christ,anguish,sword,worship,fear

mouth,grace,glory,antichrist,error,foul

righteousness,familiar(psychic),wisdom,jealousy

evil,sorrowful,sad,lying,good,understanding

troubled,hasty,humble,broken,man,vexation

beast,proud,judgment,burning,perverse

Holy,contrite,faint,excellent, whoredom,grace

unclean,dumb,deaf,power,infirmity

truth,divination,holiness,life,bondage,adoption

slumber,fervent,love,meekness,gifts

healing,faith,earnest,joy,peace,gentleness

longsuffering”

In addition to these, there are the 7 Spirits which stand before the throne in Revelation 1:4.

The various spirits govern us….not the physical elements.

9. The New Jerusalem will be about 1,500 miles long, about 1,500 miles wide and about 1,500 miles high. Revelation 21:16 ( a furlong is about an 1/8th of a mile)

10. It is interesting that the beginning of our present heavens and earth in Genesis 1:1-2 started with a complete covering of water. With the advent of the new heaven and new earth in Revelation 21:1, the sea and oceans will no longer exist. Sorry, surfer dude/dudette! And, no more tanning, as there will be no sun….Revelation 21:23.

11. In 1526, William Tyndale published the first printed English New Testament. For his faithful efforts, the clergy and bishops of the Church of England were instrumental is having him endure a disgusting and cruel imprisonment, then being strangled at the stake and finally burned to ashes in 1536….fervently praying with his last words, “Lord, open the king of England’s eyes.”. (Paraphrased from Adlai Loudy’s GOD’S EONIAN PURPOSE, Chapter 2)

12. James, the brother of Jesus, at some point became an apostle (Galatians 1:1).

13. Humans and animals have a soul….plants don’t (this is taken from the Post: “Lazarus and the Rich Man”):

“the soul is actually in the blood: “for the soul of all flesh, it is in the blood” (Lev.17:11….Strong’s Concordance has “nephesh” or “soul”; also, Darby’s Translation, Concordant Literal Old Testament and Bullinger’s Companion Bible have “soul”). Where there is no human blood….there is no human soul (or, life, consciousness, etc.).”

“This is why animals and humans can be said to have a “soul”….because they have blood flowing within them. Even though plants, vegetation and the like are “living organisms”, they are never said to have a “soul” because they have no blood….meaning, they have no consciousness nor any type of feelings. If you chop a tree down, rest assured it feels no pain!”.

14. Why is it difficult for any Christian to believe in the resurrections to come since God was the One Who originally created humans through Christ from the ‘dirt’ to begin with? And, Jesus even says in Matthew 3:9 that God is able to create “children to Abraham” from stone itself.

15. It is estimated that the number of living species on our planet ranges from 3 million to 100 million. Consider the fact that God through Christ Jesus had to create an INDIVIDUAL and UNIQUE ‘behavioral computer chip’ for each species!! They ALL function differently and obviously need their own distinct behavioral pattern programmed into their personal being in order to live and survive, based on the way each is created. Simply amazing!!

16. Old Testament believers are never said to have the Holy Spirit “within” them, but rather, “upon” them. Please reference the Post “The Holy Spirit Was Not WITHIN Old Testament Believers” for more information.

In case you haven’t noticed, we, as believers, cannot do God’s will by relying on our own power and strength (even though being “under grace by faith”) any more than those who were under law could.

Not to worry….God provides us with unimaginable power and strength. Here is a sampling of how God and Christ Jesus can empower us if we respond as we should: that is, in faith, beseeching Them in continual prayer (please reference the Post on “Practicing The Presence Of God”) and an earnest heart to be able to do and be as They would have us. (All quotations are from MODERN YOUNG’S LITERAL TRANSLATION….some capitalization is mine)

Ephesians 1:19 – “what the exceeding greatness of His POWER to us who are believing, according to the working of the POWER of His might.”
Ephesians 3:16 – “that He may give to you, according to the riches of His glory, with might to be STRENGTHENED through His Spirit, in regard to the inner man.”
Ephesians 3:20 – “and to Him Who is able above all things to do exceeding abundantly what we ask or think, according to the POWER that is working in us”
Ephesians 6:10 – “be STRONG in the Lord, and in the POWER His might”
2 Timothy 1:7 – “for God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of POWER, and of love, and of a sound mind”
2 Timothy 4:17 – “But the Lord stood by and EMPOWERED me” (Rotherham’s)
Philippians 4:13 – ” I have STRENGTH for all things, in Christ’s STRENGTHENING me”
Colossians 1:29 – ” Contending according to His ENERGY which is ENERGIZING itself in me with POWER” (Rotherham’s)
Romans 15:13 – “and the God of the hope shall fill you with all joy and peace in the believing, for your abounding in the hope in POWER of the Holy Spirit”
1 Corinthians 2:5 – “that your faith may not be in the wisdom of men, but in the POWER of God.”

If you are breathing and in touch with reality you know for a fact that we, as believers, are not truly “righteous” in the sense of doing “right” ALL the time (in other words, being PERFECT)……even though Romans 3:21-24 clearly states that there is “a righteousness of God to all, and upon all those believing”. (Young’s Literal NT)

I certainly don’t understand how it’s done, but God, as a FACT and as REALITY, actually sees us in this light because of Christ’s sacrifice and our gift of faith.

So, why would Paul look forward to receiving the “crown of righteousness” mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:8 (notice: he doesn’t look forward to a crown of “celestial gold and/or jewels”!!)? And, in Galatians 5:5 he says we saints “do wait for a hope of righteousness” (Young’s). How does this square with Romans 3:21-24….seems contradictory.

The answer appears to be this:

Paul wanted to experience a “real” righteousness (not just the “imputed” mentioned above) to its fullest extent and a crown symbolized this accomplishment….in other words, being able, AFTER THE RESURRECTION, to be as perfect as Christ Jesus, without the possibility of EVER sinning again…..ALWAYS being able to think and do the right thing out of pure, Holy love. (Reference Philippians 3:12)